Abandon Nest

If any of you played sports in grade school or high school, you probably spent the first 10-15 minutes stretching your muscles out to make sure you wouldn’t pull anything. You probably did toe touches, hurdler stretches, and many others. The latest research has suggested that stretching before your muscles are warm is worse for you than not stretching at all. How can this be?

Static stretching, like I described above, puts a tremendous strain on your muscles. More often than not you’ll stretch too far without even realizing it. This, in turn, can have a harmful effect on your muscles that will hinder you for some time. So static stretching is bad, what can you do to warm your muscles?

Two of the best things you can do are dynamic stretching and light bodyweight exercise. Dynamic stretching is what you see a lot of track and field athletes doing. They’ll hold onto a fence and kick their legs through the air. They start out small but eventually their kicks reach above their heads and they’re fully stretched. Dynamic stretching is great for a warmup.

The other best practice is light jogging or biking. By performing a slow jog or ride you loosen your muscles and get the blood flowing through them. Your legs, chest, shoulders, arms, and everything else should start to warm up and you’ll be better able to accomodate the heavier loads or stresses you’re about to put on your body.

So you warm up and then go exercise. Now do you head straight to the shower? I hope not. Take 5-7 minutes to statically stretch the muscles you’ve been working. That’s right, that thing that I told you not to do a few paragraphs ago. That’s why this is the stretching paradox. By stretching after exercise you’ll be less likely to develop cramps and soreness.

So now that you know all this, get out there and take action. Treat your body right and your body will respond in kind.

Technorati Tags: Exercise, Fitness, Workout, Stretching